Sakon Yamamoto is a Japanese former F1 driver and politician whose career took him from the high-speed world of Grand Prix racing to the debating chambers of Japan’s National Diet. He competed in F1 between 2006 and 2010, and later served in the House of Representatives from 2021 to 2024, representing Tōkai PR for the Liberal Democratic Party.
| Nationality | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Born | Sakon Yamamoto 9 July 1982 Toyohashi, Japan |
Formula One Career
Super Aguri: 2006
Yamamoto’s F1 debut came on 8 June 2006 when Super Aguri signed him as test and third driver, working alongside Takuma Sato and Franck Montagny during Friday practice. His break into a race seat came mid-season at the 2006 German Grand Prix, replacing Montagny. The start was turbulent—technical gremlins, a stalled engine, and an untimely crash during practice restricted his mileage in the opening rounds. In Turkey, he at least outqualified Sato before spinning out on race day.
At Monza, a tyre delamination in qualifying left him at the back, but the debris triggered an incident that indirectly affected championship leader Fernando Alonso’s grid penalty. In China, Yamamoto finally saw the chequered flag—sixteenth and four laps down—but was mistakenly blamed by Nick Heidfeld for a last-lap incident caused by Sato, an error the German later corrected. Ending the season with three consecutive finishes, including a standout seventh-fastest lap in Brazil, Yamamoto nonetheless lost the 2007 race seat battle to Anthony Davidson, staying on as test driver while competing in GP2 with BCN Competición.
Spyker: 2007
When Christijan Albers departed Spyker in mid-2007, Yamamoto took over after Markus Winkelhock’s one-off appearance. His debut for the Dutch squad in Hungary ended in a lap-four crash. Finishes followed—but largely at the back of the field—though he did beat Jarno Trulli in the rain-hit 2007 Japanese Grand Prix. The season ended without points, and his F1 future remained uncertain.
Renault: 2008
In February 2008, Renault enlisted Yamamoto as a demonstration and promotional driver, with Lucas di Grassi and Romain Grosjean handling on-track testing duties. His presence coincided with sponsor Sanho Human Service moving support from Spyker to Renault.
GP2 Return: 2008–2009
Midway through the 2008 GP2 season, ART Grand Prix recruited Yamamoto to replace Luca Filippi. A fourth place in the Hungaroring sprint race gave him his first international points finish. In the GP2 Asia Series, he managed a Shanghai podium but was largely overshadowed by rising stars Nico Hülkenberg and Pastor Maldonado, ending the campaign ninth overall.
Hispania Racing: 2010
Yamamoto joined HRT as a reserve driver before making race appearances, initially replacing Bruno Senna at Silverstone. He cycled between seats with Karun Chandhok and later endured a bizarre Monza incident when his car clipped a mechanic, causing injury. His best result came with a 15th place in Korea, though his season was punctuated by illness, mechanical retirements, and mid-race substitutions.
Virgin: 2011
Marussia Virgin Racing named Yamamoto reserve driver for the opening three rounds of the 2011 season, this would be his final official link to an F1 team.
Sakon Yamamoto Formula One World Championship career
| F1 Career | 2006–2007, 2010 |
|---|---|
| Teams | Super Aguri, Spyker, HRT |
| Entries | 21 (21 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 14 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2006 German Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2010 Korean Grand Prix |
Sakon Yamamoto Teammates
| 8 drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiago Monteiro | 1 | 2005 | |
| Narain Karthikeyan | 1 | 2005 | |
| Takuma Sato | 11 | 2006 | |
| Franck Montagny | 9 | 2006 | |
| Adrian Sutil | 7 | 2007 | |
| Bruno Senna | 8 | 2010 | |
| Karun Chandhok | 2 | 2010 | |
| Christian Klien | 1 | 2010 |
Sakon Yamamoto Complete Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Jordan Grand Prix | Jordan EJ15B | Toyota RVX-05 3.0 V10 | AUS | MAL | BHR | SMR | ESP | MON | EUR | CAN | USA | FRA | GBR | GER | HUN | TUR | ITA | BEL | BRA | JPN TD | CHN | – | – |
| 2006 | Super Aguri F1 Team | Super Aguri SA05 | Honda RA806E 2.4 V8 | BHR | MAL | AUS | SMR | EUR | ESP | MON | GBR TD | CAN TD | USA TD | FRA TD | 26th | 0 | ||||||||
| Super Aguri SA06 | Honda RA806E 2.4 V8 | GER Ret | HUN Ret | TUR Ret | ITA Ret | CHN 16 | JPN 17 | BRA 16 | 26th | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Etihad Aldar Spyker F1 Team | Spyker F8-VII | Ferrari 056H 2.4 V8 056H 2.4 V8 | AUS | MAL | BHR | ESP | MON | CAN | USA | FRA | GBR | EUR | HUN Ret | TUR 20 | 24th | 0 | |||||||
| 2007 | Etihad Aldar Spyker F1 Team | Spyker F8-VIIB | Ferrari 056H 2.4 V8 | ITA 20 | BEL 17 | JPN 12 | CHN 17 | BRA Ret | 24th | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Hispania Racing F1 Team | Hispania F110 | Cosworth CA2010 2.4 V8 | BHR | AUS | MAL | CHN | ESP | MON | TUR TD | CAN | EUR | GBR 20 | GER Ret | HUN 19 | BEL 20 | ITA 19 | SIN | JPN 16 | KOR 15 | BRA | ABU | 26th | 0 |
